Woody has moved!

[bcoke]

Yes Wodrow aka woody the woodchuck has relocated on my property.......over the years he has lived under the rear porch, the gazebo, wintering in a hole in a slope next to the garage.......well I still see him around under the gazebo etc but noticed some digging activity at my Barn/Workshop........by the right side people door where 3 2inch conduits come up bringing power,cable/dsl/ and one for future use,he is removing some stone........I ran a 30inch bed of stone to act as a drip edge so the vinyl siding stays clean from mud,,,,,,,,,,,,well woody is digging to get under my slab for the winter I think......the slab is radiant heat for the shop....I do not believe he can/will chew into the slab and rupture the radient heat just found a warm spot at night!!!! the problem is what to do , friends say shot him and fill the hole.........trap hime and relocate him..........ignore the situation .........The fist option is unacceptable as I could not kill any living thing [yea I know I eat meat but I am not doing the killing and have seen enough violence ]............Do you see any problem with live and let live or should I trap and move him???????????? bobbycoke

 

[kd3pc]

they are called rodents and varmints for a reason..he has probably moved so his spawn have a place to live. Things seldom get better with a varmint that wants to move up to heated space for the coming winter.

Having had horses and bad knees - myself...nothing worse than one of us stepping in to a new hole, or worse. And don't underestimate their ability to destroy stuff...they move enough dirt for a 10x20 shed floor to shift. Badly..

Given your sympathies, relocation is your game...now get with it - before you have major repairs to make around your shop.

 

[garagelogician]

If it were me (and I lived out in the country), the problem would've been solved long ago with a Remington 870. But since that is not an option, I would opt for the eviction route and move him far away.

 

[matt_i]

I'd get rid of it at all costs. Think of the $$$$$ that you have invested for which the rodent has no respect.

 

[6768rogues]

I put a live trap by the hole and then shoot them in the trap. If you don't want to do that, you could relocate it. I don't want to get close enough to the trap to let one out, but maybe you like animals enough to do that. Or have a neighbor shoot it.

 

[BillK]

I have seen some of the destruction that they are capable of. I would trap and relocate.

 

[Ed Devinney]

At my old place I would live and let live as long as they stayed out from underneath buildings. I'm not a fan of killing animals but those I trapped and killed. Groundhogs are very destructive. Deal with them seriously or pay someone to do so.

Relocation isn't without issues. Experts say that relocated critters will fare poorly, and it may be illegal for you to do yourself (true in my state). A pest control service may be able to do this, though.

Once removed, fill both ends of the hole he's dug, or that warm, empty den will just attract another inhabitant.

 

[DCarr2]

you need bonehead... he is an EXPERT chucker...

Bonehead is a Boxter/mastiff mix... 100lbs of push over...

In 3 weeks he removed all woodchucks from my old house... and with in 1 week, removed all wood chucks from my new house...

 

[gnpenning]

Do nothing. Let him dig up your place and make a nice warm place under your shop. He can remove the insulation under your slab then start on the radiant lines. After your radiant heat quits working Woody may move on to destroying your next building. Let him keep multiplying so they can destroy things faster.

I guess you don't know how cannibalistic they can be in eating there own. Not sure what violence you are referring to and how it equates to rodents. ..

 

[dkmc]

They are destructive pests. Dig under buildings, etc.
You can trap them pretty easy with a #2 spring trap.
Find a well used hole that's out in the open if possible.
Set the trap right near the hole, and stake down the chain.
No bait required, sooner than later they'll simply step in/on the trap
coming out of or going into the hole, and get caught.
Dispatch with a club shaped length of 2x4.
3 swift whacks strategically aimed at the top of the head.
Be sure to check all the traps 2x daily.
I leave the carcass on the far corner of the property and they disappear overnight.
Keeps the foxes and coyotes happy.

 

[KEH]

Relocation means to relocate your problem to some other unsuspecting human, who may, BTW, decide to permamently solve the problem.

KEH

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

I prefer relocation, i usually take them out to a wooded area and let them go.




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[kd3pc]

I prefer relocation, i usually take them out to a wooded area and let them go.




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better do more than a mile...the varmint folks here who trap them, say anything less - they will find their way back.

With no real predators any more, they are reproducing and ....

 

[rburke65]

I also prefer relocation....I send then to see Jesus......

 

[Richard Cranium]

What ever you do, good luck, and be careful, they are fighter when trapped.

 

[Farmall 1066]

Conibear in a box set, baited with rotten cantaloupe, for the ones I don't see.
220 Swift for the ones that I see from afar. 22mag for the ones that get
close.

 

[southalabama]

You named it. Can't kill it now.

Trap and relocate or have a friend shoot it.

Don't ever name animals except for pets. Never name livestock either unless it's bacon and burgers.

 

[wssix99]

You named it. Can't kill it now.

Trap and relocate or have a friend shoot it.

Don't ever name animals except for pets. Never name livestock either unless it's bacon and burgers.

This made my morning. Lot's of wisdom here, too.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I had one get in the house garage, he chewed the heck out of the garage door seal. I shot him in the garage, carried him out on a shovel and cleaned up the mess.

If you don't get rid of him, he will do hundreds dollars of damage, especially if you have radiant heat under your slab. Ignoring it the problem is not a solution and honestly, only a fool would do so.

If you had a mouse in your house would you ignore it or would you bait/trap it. A groundhog is basically the same thing, just on a larger scale.

 

[billspit]

As Ellie Mae used to say, there's critters and varmints. That is a varmint. He would have to go from my property.

 

[bcoke]

OK --the consenus is in, he will be relocated......like the "never name and animal except bacon or burgers" statement........the grandkids will miss him on their next visit......thank to all for input.....bobbycoke

 

[Muzzy]

Check your local game laws.
Some states do not encourage relocation as they are rabies carriers.

 

[grissom]

Groundhogs are one of the few species that enter into true hibernation, and often build a separate "winter burrow" for this purpose. This burrow is usually in a wooded or brushy area and is dug below the frost line and remains at a stable temperature well above freezing during the winter months. In most areas, groundhogs hibernate from October to March or April, but in more temperate areas, they may hibernate as little as three months.[21] To survive the winter, they are at their maximum weight shortly before entering hibernation. They emerge from hibernation with some remaining body fat to live on until the warmer spring weather produces abundant plant materials for food. Groundhogs are mostly diurnal, and are often active early in the morning or late afternoon.[22]